Episode Overview

Episode Title: New York City's New 'Golden Age'
Date: December 8, 2025
Host: Kennedy
Guest: Jimmy Failla

In this lively episode of "Kennedy Saves the World," Kennedy and comedian Jimmy Failla tackle New York City’s present and speculative future, riffing on homelessness, city politics, social decay, and the culture of survival with sharp wit and personal anecdotes. Interlacing humor and social commentary, the pair reflect on how policy and political leadership could catalyze a new, grittier “golden age” for New York — reminiscent of its wildest past eras.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. New York's Policy Proposal Satire

• Mayoral Politics:
  The episode opens with sharp satire about Zoran Mamdani, hypothetically positioned as New York’s next mayor, and his plans to make the city “the most affordable city in America” by not clearing homeless encampments.

  • "When Zoran Mamdani is sworn in as our next mayor, you can live anywhere you want in New York City. It becomes the most affordable city in America." – Kennedy (00:12)

• Homeless Encampments and Quality of Life:
  Kennedy and Failla riff on the increasing normalization of public drug use and homelessness, lampooning the city's potential future with unregulated encampments.

  • "The hottest new apartment in Manhattan is a Winnebago with no license plate." – Jimmy (00:34)
  • "Even better. It’s a Coleman tent." – Kennedy (00:38)

• Drug Decriminalization:
  They criticize safe injection sites and the trend toward decriminalizing (and, potentially, subsidizing) drug use.

  • "All you're allowing people to do is exist just a half a level above death." – Kennedy (01:47)

2. Cultural Callback: New York’s Wild Side

• Triple X Times Square & 90s Depravity:
  The conversation detours into personal stories from when Times Square was a seedy den of vice, with firsthand memories capturing how lawlessness shaped previous eras.
  • "We're getting another shot at like what we did in the late 80s or in early 90s when it was like Triple X Times Square." – Jimmy (03:39)
  • "That was the first place I went… My friend Sean, as a joke, took me to a Times Square Triple X theater." – Kennedy (03:50)
  • "My friend Vinnie goes, oh, my God, is she going to be here tonight? And the guy who's like the Mater D guy goes, oh, you don't want to see her now." – Jimmy (05:05)
• Both hosts reflect with laughter, disgust, and a touch of nostalgia for an era that, while dangerous, shaped the city’s “character”.

3. Urban Decay Meets Dark Comedy

• Homelessness & Public Space:
  The conversation pivots to a present-day anecdote about an encampment near Kennedy’s home and experiences with aggressive pedestrians in Seattle.

  • "We had a homeless encampment pop up across the street from our apartment building, and they cleared it out within two days." – Kennedy (06:20)

• Traffic, Pedestrians, and Uber’s Impact:
  Jimmy blames Uber and Lyft for taking over from old-school cabbies, changing how people use crosswalks:

  • "When we were cab drivers… cabbies floored into intersections and clear the road of pedestrians… Now that you have guys concerned with hitting the car they have to take their kid to school with in the morning, they've given back the roads to the pedestrians." – Jimmy (06:42)

4. Generational Financial Literacy & City Affordability

• Advice for the Next Generation:
  Kennedy asks Jimmy what advice he gives his son Lincoln about city affordability and the future.

  • "What do you tell your son about affordability and the next ten years of his life?" – Kennedy (07:47)
  • Financial Literacy: Both hosts praise the proliferation of investing education on social media and encourage starting early with compounding interest and custodial accounts.
    • “Financial literacy was not an issue, was not a trend. It was not a thing when we were growing up." – Kennedy (08:08)

• Millennial & Gen Z Side Hustles:
  Comic riffs on unconventional money-making like FeetFinder or OnlyFans:

  • "None of us were selling pictures of our feet… Had a decent home EC teacher said to us, hey kids, don’t waste time." – Jimmy (08:17)
  • "You don't make any money unless you're doing weird stuff like crushing a pumpkin with your toes." – Kennedy (08:26)

• Long-Term Planning:
  Jimmy shares his baton-passing metaphor for being responsible to your future self.

  • "You're going to hand the baton to the next Lincoln who's going to have to look you in the face and have an opinion of you based on how he thinks you did with the baton." – Jimmy (09:16)
  • "On my 30th birthday, that baton pass from 20 something me to 30 something me was not cordial. It was like when the Trumps came to the White House to succeed the Obama, just a real bad body language." – Jimmy (09:26)

5. Humor as Shield and Sword

• Golden Age, or Golden Shower Age?
  The hosts close by lampooning the idea that New York is heading into a new “golden age,” complete with bodily function jokes and exaggerated doom.
  • "It's going to be a golden shower age." – Kennedy (04:34 & 10:20)
  • "Welcome to New York. We can't wait to see you. All of you just pissing all over fifth Avenue. It's gonna be a great week." – Kennedy (10:27)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Mayoral Policy Satire:
  "Go on Facebook Marketplace, find a semi-outdoorsy family who is giving up on camping, grab their tent, move to New York." – Kennedy (00:43)
• On Drug Policy & Depravity:
  "Bobby has three needles. He shoots up with two. I can see the math scores going up as we speak." – Jimmy (01:40)
• On Quality of Life and Business Owners:
  "If you run a business, and some guy sets up a tent out front, nothing you can do about it." – Kennedy (02:42)
• Triple X Anecdotes:
  "Is this what it's come to for most people? Literally and euphemistically?" – Kennedy (04:18) "This is a zoo where we'll allow you to spank the monkeys… but you gotta do it with some dignity." – Jimmy (05:09)
• Batons and Life Transitions:
  "That baton pass from 20 something me to 30 something me was not cordial… just a real bad body language all around." – Jimmy (09:18)
• Embracing the Chaos:
  "The golden age is upon us." – Jimmy (10:19)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:09 – 01:08: Satirical proposal for NYC's homelessness policy under a hypothetical Zoran Mamdani mayoralty.
• 01:36 – 02:55: Drug decriminalization and safe injection sites mocked.
• 03:00 – 03:48: Accessibility issues due to sidewalk homeless encampments; nostalgia for 80s/90s NYC.
• 03:50 – 05:53: Times Square’s Triple X era and sobering coming-of-age anecdotes.
• 06:20 – 07:19: Experience with homeless camps in Seattle and pedestrian-cabbie dynamics.
• 07:47 – 09:56: Financial advice for the next generation, compounding interest, and humorous side hustle riffs.
• 10:06 – End: “Golden age/golden shower age” puns; episode wrap-up.

Tone & Style

The conversation is irreverent, fast-paced, and comedically biting — blending snark, social critique, and nostalgia for a grittier, less sanitized New York.

If you missed the episode:
Expect unfiltered banter, satirical policy takes, gritty city lore, and a mixture of exasperated affection and eye-rolling about NYC’s perennial problems. It’s equal parts a comedy roast, a civics lament, and an offbeat celebration of urban survival.